We had a late night. It was well past midnight when Ivetta fell asleep. I lay still for a few minutes, listening to her slow, steady breathing, before I carefully eased out of her arms. Our carriage, along with several more bearing servants, would arrive in the morning. I pulled the drapes closed, shut and locked the door, and returned to bed. Ivetta’s long black hair was spread across the pillow around her peaceful, heart-shaped face; her long black lashes rested lightly on her cheeks; her full lips were slightly parted.
“Mm…”
She stirred slightly as I slid back into bed, her fingers curling into the pillow. I brushed the hair back from her face and kissed her forehead.
“Chevalier…”
Her eyes didn’t open, and she didn’t say anything beyond the soft sigh that held my name. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. She automatically reached a slender arm across to my shoulder as she nuzzled into my chest. I closed my eyes and let the sound of her breathing guide me into a deep sleep.
The clip-clop of horses’ hooves on cobblestone woke me before her the next morning. I opened my eyes and listened - the creak of carriage wheels, muted voices outside. The servants had arrived. Sunlight peeked around the edges of the drapes, signifying morning’s arrival, but Ivetta showed no signs of waking. I closed my eyes again and nuzzled into her hair. It wouldn’t hurt anything to leave midday instead of mid-morning.
It was noon the next time I woke, fully rested and ready to get out of bed. Ivetta was still asleep. I rolled on my back and stretched. Much as I hated to wake her, we did need to get back to the palace. I had no illusions that my faction accomplished anything while I was gone. Leon’s may have, or my seven brothers may have decided to take the week off in my absence and drain the palace’s liquor stores. I rolled onto my side, propping myself on an elbow as I looked down at Ivetta’s sleeping face.
Maybe last night had been a bit much for her.
“Ivetta.”
“Mm…”
She shifted slightly, her eyes squeezing more tightly shut.
“Ivetta, wake up.”
She shook her head. “Just a few more minutes…”
Is this what I was like when she tried to wake me? Probably not. Nobody would ever call me adorable unless she was involved.
“The carriage is here, Ivetta.”
She finally opened her sleepy green eyes and looked up at me. “Already?”
I chuckled and brushed the hair back from her face. “It’s noon.”
“Well, that explains it,” she muttered, burying her face in the pillow.
“You don’t usually sleep in,” I agreed, brushing her hair to one side and kissing her bare shoulder.
She sighed and rolled over to face me. “You don’t normally wake up before me.”
“I’m more used to staying up late,” I replied, twirling a lock of her hair around my fingers. “You don’t have to worry about making our meal today. The servants are back.”
“Oh, good, so they can have a good laugh about the mess we made,” she said sarcastically, rubbing her eyes and sitting up. “And I guess that means somebody can help me get into that ridiculous dress.”
She moved toward the edge of the bed, away from me, and I sat up and wrapped my arms around her waist from behind.
“Chevalier-”
I rested my cheek against her bare back and squeezed her softly. Nobody was coming into our room until after we left. I wanted as much time alone with her as possible.
“I’ll help you get into that ridiculous dress.”
She giggled and pulled free from me. “They’re a lot harder to get into than to get out of, and it looks like my wardrobe has had another upgrade in misery.”
“Do you doubt your king?” I asked teasingly, following her into the bathroom.
“No, but I wanted to set realistic expectations. This isn’t going to be fun.”
She pulled each article of clothing on and gave me instructions, which were largely unnecessary. I remembered how everything went from undoing it all the first night of our honeymoon. But I wanted to draw each moment out as long as possible to give us more time together, so I pretended to fumble with all the laces and fastenings.
“Oh, Chevalier,” she laughed, watching me in the mirror. “Stupid does not look good on you.”
“It is not wise to insult the man lacing your corset, Ivetta,” I teased.
“You’re right. I think you’re doing a marvelous job, Chevalier,” she said, altering her tone to be more complimentary. “And I really hate to say it, but you need to pull that tighter.”
“Oh?”
“Not too tight!” she added quickly. “Unless you’ve decided you don’t want me around anymore.”
I tightened the laces incrementally and kissed her neck. “There is no risk of that.”
It took easily twice as long as it should have, but she was finally dressed. It took easily twice as long as it should have, but she was finally dressed and sitting down at the vanity, reaching for her hairbrush while I retrieved my clothes. I was much quicker getting dressed than she was, partly because I didn’t have all the unnecessary extras she had to wear, partly because I had no interference. Physical interference, anyway. Every time I glanced her way, she was watching me in the mirror. I smirked and belted my sword around my hips.
“Like what you see?” I asked teasingly.
She scowled petulantly at me, a dusting of pink coming to her cheeks when she realized I’d caught her staring. “Why don’t I get to wear a shirt and pants?”
“Because I like you better in a skirt,” I replied, combing my fingers through her neatly brushed hair. “Leave your hair down.”
“You haven’t even seen me in pants,” she countered, setting her hairbrush down. “I bet you would like it.”
“I’m sure I would,” I agreed, pulling her to her feet. “Ready?”
“Not quite.” She stood on tiptoe and gave me a light kiss. “Now I am.”
Were this any of the previous seven days, I would have returned that kiss and then some, but we had already delayed too much. I led her to the door, where servants were lined up in the hallway just outside to greet us with bows and curtseys. They must have finished their other work and had nothing left to do but attend to our room. I wondered how long they’d been standing there waiting. Ivetta’s blush told me she had a similar thought. I led her past them without a word and took her to the dining room.
“Oh, this is nice,” she commented as we entered.
Somebody tittered softly, and her blush deepened.
“That will be all,” I said firmly. The servants who were present quickly vacated the room as I held her chair out for her.
“Your brothers are going to eat me alive when we get back,” she moaned, taking her seat and putting her face in her hands.
“This was our honeymoon. We were supposed to enjoy it,” I replied, sitting next to her.
She dropped her hands and smiled shyly at me. “Nothing embarrasses you, does it? I just admitted to those servants that I’ve never seen this room before, and we’ve been here a whole week.”
I smirked. “Those same servants are tending to the pile of sheets on the bedroom floor.”
She punched my shoulder playfully. “Don’t remind me of that. Let’s eat before the food gets cold.”
Our lunch was typical palace fare - fancier than Ivetta’s cooking, flavorful to the palate and arranged in such a way as to be visually appealing. I preferred Ivetta’s simpler meals, designed to be filling and delicious while using minimal ingredients and seasonings and taking little time to prepare. Food for commoners. The only complicated dish she ever made was beignets.
If she made those at the palace, we would have to bring a plate back to our room. There was no eating those in front of others.
I casually rested my hand on her thigh under the table. She froze, fork midway to her open mouth, cheeks bright red, and then slapped my hand with her free one.
“Chevalier, we’re about to get in a carriage to leave. Behave yourself,” she chided, though she couldn’t help smiling.
“Until we’re in the carriage,” I promised.
“We’ll discuss it then,” she replied firmly.
Not that we could get up to too much trouble in the carriage. The cramped space would limit our actions, and we needed to look presentable when we arrived at the palace. There would be plenty of teasing awaiting us without her hair being mussed.
We finished eating, and I led her outside to a world of green painted in the vibrant colors of spring. The royal carriage waited out front for us, marked by my tiger crest painted on the door. A team of horses with glossy coats and braided manes and tails stood patiently in the traces; the coachman sat up straight and tall in the coach box, his uniform pressed and polished.
Ivetta had been so nervous the last time we boarded that carriage.
I opened the door and helped her inside. She was nervous again, but for a different reason. Her shy embarrassment about the servants cleaning up after us was endearing. I wasn’t embarrassed. This was our honeymoon, and there was nothing wrong with us enjoying it. I closed the door behind me and immediately kissed her.
“Everybody’s looking,” she said, glancing out the window at the servants who were wandering to and fro.
As if I cared. The carriage jolted slightly as it started to move.
“Better?” I asked, kissing her again.
“Can the coachman hear us?” she asked, wrapping her arms around my neck as I kissed along her jawline.
“Yes.”
She pulled back, blushing furiously. “In that case, maybe we should wait until we get to the palace.”
I chuckled and slipped my arm around her waist. “I’ll have to work when we get back.”
She sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder. “Good. That will keep your brothers from teasing me for a little while.”
“Your furniture has been moved into my room,” I said, kissing her on the forehead.
“Our room,” she corrected me, playing with the cuff of my sleeve. “And hopefully, Clavis hasn’t brought Rhodolite to ruin in your absence.”
“It is more likely that he has done no work at all,” I replied. “Our luggage departed in another carriage while we were eating lunch. When it arrives at the palace, I have given orders for Belle to be notified.”
“She’s going to meet us?” Ivetta asked excitedly, twisting around to look at me.
I took the opportunity to kiss her again. “I thought you might want her help settling in while I am working.”
“You know me too well.” She settled back against my chest. “And Theresa can help me unpack, and - oh.” She paused for a moment. “They’re going to see that red negligee…”
I chuckled. “Perhaps you would rather endure my brothers’ teasing.”
“No, I’ll let you handle that. I guess I owe Theresa, anyway. She had to talk me through the first night when I almost passed out before the wedding.”
“You were that frightened?”
Why hadn’t I noticed? I saw her anxiety, and I guessed what it was about, but I hadn’t realized just how scared she was until we arrived at the chateau. Had I been that blinded by lust?
“Well, Mother never talked to me about…anything, so I had no idea what to expect,” Ivetta explained shyly.
“I should have paid better attention.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said reassuringly. “I was trying very hard not to let you know. And you did notice when we got to the chateau, although I should have just told you what was going on. But you’ll be happy to know that Theresa was right.”
“What did she say?”
“Nothing detailed. It was really just a lot of encouragement about how we love each other, so it would come naturally, and if things didn’t go well at first, we had the rest of our lives together to figure it out. And then, after she calmed me down, she shocked me by showing me the red negligee and shoved me out the door.”
I could picture the stunned expression on Ivetta’s face when Theresa showed her that outfit. Wide green eyes, face bright red up to her ears, lips slightly parted. She wouldn’t have been able to argue when Theresa pushed her into the hallway to get her started toward the church.
“I like Theresa,” I said with amusement, kissing Ivetta’s neck.
“I hope so, because she’s going to be our maid.”
I didn’t like her that much.
“Why do we need a maid?” I grumbled, already irritated at the thought of somebody invading my personal space when I only wanted Ivetta there.
“I thought you didn’t want me doing menial labor anymore,” Ivetta teased. “She’ll bring us our meals and handle the cleaning so I can focus on my duties as queen.”
That made sense, but for Ivetta to so easily give up the basic tasks of tending to my room meant that she was planning on being quite busy. I chuckled again, imagining the wide, frightening smile on Sariel’s face when I told him that Ivetta would be taking charge of the household staff.
“The court ministers won’t know what to do with you.”
“Speaking of court ministers, I think Sariel deserves a break. It can’t be easy to pull off a large event, and he did three in less than a year.”
“I will take it into consideration.”
It may be for the best. He had been relaying my orders to the court ministers ever since my coronation, shielding them from me while skillfully spinning my words and their preconceptions together in a way that convinced them to bend to my wishes. They needed to know who they were dealing with and just how much they owed Sariel. A meeting with them shortly after he left would be quite interesting.
I also needed to get a feel for each of them individually. An appointment as court minister was a permanent role. Several of the current group were advanced in age and likely to pass away within the next year or two. During my father’s reign, he couldn’t be bothered to appoint replacements, and so the court ministers had handled that themselves. They had been self-governing for far too long. I needed to rely on all of them, not just Sariel, as my advisors. Their interpersonal dynamics and individual personalities would help me determine the type of person who would be best suited to work well with the current group and still meet my needs.
“We should go back next year,” Ivetta said after a while, interrupting my thoughts. She was gazing out the window at the rolling green hills passing us by, a thoughtful expression on her face.
“Already planning our anniversary, little dove?”
“It could be a very nice tradition for us,” she replied, turning back to me. “Even when we have children, it would just be the two of us, every year.”
“I would like that.”
Her lips curved up into a smirk, and she touched two fingers to my thigh, just above my knee. “And maybe,” she added, walking her fingers up my leg toward my torso, “maybe Theresa will pack another surprise for us next year.”
My muscles tensed as her fingers skipped up to my stomach and continued to my chest, where they started tracing circles. She peeked up at me coyly. The little tease knew exactly what she was doing to me. I caught her chin and kissed her hard.
“I’ll deal with you properly after work.”
She giggled. “Promise?”
The only appropriate answer was another kiss. We were too close to the palace to even think of doing more. I had been undecided about working late to catch up on everything I missed, but she made up my mind. Whatever didn’t get done by dinner could wait until tomorrow.
The carriage finally came to a stop in the outer court of the palace. Ivetta glanced out the window at everybody gathered and shrank back against the seat. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. I scanned the crowd while I gave her a moment. My brothers, Sariel, Belle, Rio, Julius, the rest of her guard detail - all people she knew and was comfortable being around. I gently caught her chin, forcing her to look up at me.
“There is no reason for you to worry, little dove.”
Her green eyes searched my face. I knew her better than anybody, even before this past week, and she had nothing to hide from me now. She smiled and nodded.
“Not as long as you’re with me.”
I gave her a quick kiss and opened the carriage door. Those assembled raised a collective cheer as I helped her out of the carriage. The light, carefree, uninhibited Ivetta was gone. The woman who stepped onto the paving stones with her head held high was the queen of Rhodolite.
That was what was bothering her. The mask. After a week without it, she struggled to get back into the role.
“Welcome back, King Chevalier and Queen Ivetta,” Sariel said with a genuine smile.
Belle ran up and gave Ivetta a hug.
“How was it?” she whispered.
Ivetta blushed. “Tell you later,” she whispered back.
Her blush did not go unnoticed. “Did you two enjoy yourselves?” Clavis asked with a knowing smile.
“Did you get your work done?” I snapped, although I wasn’t quite ready to get back to work just yet. I scooped Ivetta up and carried her inside, her wide green eyes rewarding my efforts.
“We already did this, Chevalier!”
“At the chateau. This is our home.” I set her down just inside the doors and kissed her, unconcerned by our audience.
“Are you taking notes, boys?” Leon asked, a smile in his voice. “That’s how you romance a lady.”
“I can carry you up to our room if you wish,” I said to her, focusing on her shining green eyes and ignoring my brothers. Although the likelihood of me making it to my office would decrease significantly if I did so.
“The many satisfied women in my life don’t seem to think I need help in that department,” Nokto commented.
“No, it’s already midafternoon and you have work to do,” I said, smiling up at me.
“What you do does not constitute romance,” Yves remarked scathingly, continuing the argument outside.
“Julius,” I called. He and her guard detail had followed us quietly inside, and he stepped forward at attention.
“We’ll have dinner in the round table room. After you have escorted her there, your services will no longer be necessary until tomorrow morning.”
“Chevalier,” Ivetta whispered, blushing.
“My orders have always been that you need no guards when you are with me,” I replied to her embarrassed interjection. “Would you prefer to have our door guarded every night?”
“Just go to work,” she said, her lips twitching as she tried not to smile.
I was better at hiding my smirk. This was less embarrassing for her than if I had to poke my head out the door and dismiss the guards whenever we wanted to make love. Which was now, but couldn’t be now. I had work to do and rowdy brothers to get back in line.
“Clavis, Nokto, Luke,” I called. The animated discussion outside came to a stop as they turned to look at me. I spun on my heel and headed for my office without further command. The booted footsteps behind me told me they understood my message.
“Bring snacks,” Luke whispered loudly, undoubtedly as he passed Ivetta.
My brothers were silent until we entered my office. I was surprised they held off for that long, but as soon as the door was closed, they let loose.
“So, Chev,” Clavis said with a sly grin, “how was it?”
I was less interested in answering his question than I was in the massive amounts of paperwork covering my desk.
“Did you do anything while I was gone?” I asked irritably.
“More importantly, did you do anything while you were gone?” Nokto asked, his crimson eyes glittering.
“Was it really your first time?” Luke piped up, grinning broadly.
I glared at all three of them. “We have work to do,” I said coolly.
“Oh, c’mon, Chev, don’t be like that. At least tell us something,” Clavis pleaded.
At least my chair wasn’t buried under paperwork. But they weren’t going to be any good unless I played their little game. It would be easy enough to string them along with vague generalizations and heavily disguised innuendo.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, Luke,” I started, taking my seat, “I never cared much for the company of women before Ivetta.”
“Wait, you’re actually going to tell us about it?” Nokto asked, his eyes widening in surprise.
I smirked. “Under one condition.” I picked up a stack of papers and held it out. “One stack must be completed before I say another word.”
It was a good incentive. I’d never seen them work so enthusiastically. A knock at the door interrupted us shortly after we started working, but none of my brothers made a move to answer it.
“Come in,” I called.
Sariel entered, his lavender eyes narrowing behind his thin glasses as he took in the mess that had accumulated.
“The queen said you wanted to see me, your highness,” he said formally.
I hadn’t given her a definite answer about Sariel’s vacation. She was remarkably confident that I would fulfill her request. But then, she knew me quite well.
“Indeed. Your service has been exemplary this past year, and starting tomorrow, I’m giving you a month’s vacation.”
Four sets of eyes widened; four sets of jaws dropped.
“Is that a problem?” I asked, amused by their response.
Sariel recovered first, closing his mouth and narrowing his eyes again. “No, your highness. There are some matters we must discuss, if you have the time later this afternoon.”
“Of course. Come back at five o’clock.”
“Yes, your highness.” He bowed formally and left.
“Well, that answers my question,” Clavis said, returning to his paperwork. “Chev had a good time."29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRN3AKbNk1
